7:2complete destruction. See note 2:32. Some think that the God of the Old Testament was harsh and vengeful to decree the destruction of the Canaanites, but this is to forget that God is just. The sins of the land’s inhabitants were extreme, and the time for judgment had come (cf. Gen. 15:16). God used Israel to punish the Canaanites, but warned that if Israel committed apostasy, leaving the God who had graciously revealed Himself to them, they too would perish (28:15–68).